LA County launches anti-smoking campaign targeting LGBTs

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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Thursday launched an anti-smoking campaign targeting the LGBT community. The county is launching the campaign because state data show that across California, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals smoke at twice the rate of the heterosexual population. The gap is not quite as large in L.A. County, but it is still significant: one in five gays, lesbians and bisexuals smokes in the county, compared with about one in seven heterosexuals, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

Bill Blatt is director of Tobacco Programs at the American Lung Association. He argues that "the LGBT community has been targeted by the tobacco industry." Blatt claims that there are many more cigarette ads in gay magazines and newspapers than in other publications.

There are special factors at play, says Blatt. For example, he says many gay people smoke to cope with the stress of discrimination. Over time, Blatt says, smoking has become normalized within the gay community.

But anti-smoking campaigns have only recently started catching on to the need to address the gay community directly, says Blatt. He says that traditionally, campaigns have featured "wealthy, white, opposite sex couples." Advertising that features same-sex couples, perhaps of different races, will have a much stronger impact in the LGBT community, Blatt argues.

The Department of Public Health’s campaign is called "Break Up With Tobacco." It will send street teams into West Hollywood to talk to people in clubs and gyms. The campaign will also spread its message on billboards and through social media.